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2017 Read with Me volunteer luncheon

DeAnn Lubell-Ames, Special to The Desert Sun
Published 10:00 a.m. PT April 15, 2017

Volunteers are a valuable commodity to all non-profit organizations. The definition of a volunteer is one who freely offers to take part in an enterprise. These are the true heroes of many charities. To honor their volunteer heroes, Read With Me, with the help of luncheon sponsor The Auen Foundation, held its annual tribute luncheon in the packed-to-the rafters Esmeralda Ballroom at the Renaissance Indian Wells Resort. Included in the guest list were volunteers, clergy, school representatives and politicians.

What is Read With Me? It is a nonprofit organization that evolved back in 2004 when founders Roberta and Clay Klein learned of underprivileged children from the east valley facing a future with poor reading skills. The Kleins knew that if a child is not reading by the third grade, he or she will more than likely not finish high school. An idea was born. Why not provide transportation for retirees to go to the overcrowded east valley schools and tutor those children who desperately needed help with English, grammar, pronunciation and reading skills. It worked like a charm. Now, more than 700 Read With Me volunteers are bussed weekly to eight different schools in the Coachella Valley as far as 30 miles away.

The Read With Me Volunteer Luncheon opened with a benediction by Father Howard Lincoln. The guest speakers included Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jason Angle Coachella Valley Unified School District, Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, and Assistant Principal Rosa Figueroa from Palm View Elementary.

Roberta Klein introduced the representatives from the first school, Mecca School, where, so far this year, volunteers have contributed 2,969 tutoring hours. One by one, each of the other schools were introduced along with their principals, clergy and volunteers: Las Palmitas Elementary, Oasis School, Palm View School, Valley View School, John Kelley School, Saul Martinez, and Cathedral City Elementary.

Special honors went to Volunteers of the Year Ron Snow for John Kelly School; Bruce Kelleran for Valley View School; Wendy Falkowski for Palm View Elementary; Dorothy Pankras for Las Palmistas Elementary; Sharon Ratliffe and Ruth Hunter for Oasis Elementary School; Jim and Arlene Lucchesi for Mecca Elementary; Bob and Joyce Jensen for Mecca Elementary School.